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Re: Some Questions About SP Passenger Service In The San Joaquin Valley
Author: George Andrews
Date: 12-13-2009 - 13:51
Regarding Espee San Jouquin Valley passenger train routings, several factors came into play.
1) The aforementioned connections @ Lathrop, ( Sacramento Daylight ), and Martinez, ( Overland & Shasta route ).
2) Route capacity constraints : CTC on the Valley Main & double track on the Cal - P line from Martinez to Oakland vs. single track ABS & train orders on the Westside & Altamont lines. Also, the connections from the Altamont line to the Mulford line, at Niles & Newark, were slow speed & involved crossing the busy Decoto freight line.
3) Altamont Pass IS a hill in both directions, passenger trains being lighter nothwithstanding. John Signor's book, Southern Pacific's Western Division, compares grade profiles & tonnage ratings on page 230. Passenger trains routed via Altamont would have required at least 1 extra unit vs. the flat profiles of the Cal - P & Valley mains.
4) Espee DID have a public obligation as a common carrier to serve the towns & cities along their lines. Of course, the larger the population, the harder it was to discontinue or reroute passenger trains. Even small towns such as Los Banos & Mendota raised a big fuss over the discontinuance of the Owl on the Westside line. Imagine the furor that would have been raised in Modesto & Merced over reroutes to the Westside line.
1) The aforementioned connections @ Lathrop, ( Sacramento Daylight ), and Martinez, ( Overland & Shasta route ).
2) Route capacity constraints : CTC on the Valley Main & double track on the Cal - P line from Martinez to Oakland vs. single track ABS & train orders on the Westside & Altamont lines. Also, the connections from the Altamont line to the Mulford line, at Niles & Newark, were slow speed & involved crossing the busy Decoto freight line.
3) Altamont Pass IS a hill in both directions, passenger trains being lighter nothwithstanding. John Signor's book, Southern Pacific's Western Division, compares grade profiles & tonnage ratings on page 230. Passenger trains routed via Altamont would have required at least 1 extra unit vs. the flat profiles of the Cal - P & Valley mains.
4) Espee DID have a public obligation as a common carrier to serve the towns & cities along their lines. Of course, the larger the population, the harder it was to discontinue or reroute passenger trains. Even small towns such as Los Banos & Mendota raised a big fuss over the discontinuance of the Owl on the Westside line. Imagine the furor that would have been raised in Modesto & Merced over reroutes to the Westside line.
